A Mississippi mother protected herself and her three children from a knife-wielding home intruder by shooting him in the arm on Monday, according to Carroll County authorities.
The mother and her three children heard the suspect, 42-year-old Steven Lamar Goss Jr., banging down the front door of their home and went to hide in the closet – which the family had designated as their safe room – and pray, the sheriff's office said.
When Goss found them, the mother shot the suspect in the arm while he was holding a knife.
"We can all learn a lot from this family about the importance of having an emergency plan in place in our homes and, most importantly, the power of prayer," Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker said in a Monday statement. "I thank the Lord for this father’s preparation; the bravery shown by the mother and children, and that what could have been a tragedy was transformed into a testimony of their faith in God."
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The suspect had initially attempted to enter the family's home through the front door, and when he couldn't, he allegedly drove his pickup truck through the home into the dining room, the sheriff's office said.
After being shot, Goss fled the victims' home, and the family's father called authorities to report the incident.
The father of three said a man with a knife was trying to enter his home while his wife and children were inside hiding in the closet. He gave authorities a description of the suspect and his vehicle.
As deputies responded to the scene, they located a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle.
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Deputies then conducted a felony traffic stop in the parking lot of a grocery store called Acy's in Greenwood. The suspect fled on foot into the "busy" store, where police followed him inside and apprehended him.
Authorities also discovered that Goss had a gunshot wound to the arm and transported the suspect to a hospital for treatment.
Goss, who was out on felony bond for weapons possession at the time of his arrest, is now charged with four counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.
